


Defensive Line

by Brim



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Olivia-centered, just to clarify there is no slash shipping between the characters, my aesthetic is primals not knowing how to drink coffee, prison buddies trio hanging out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 16:24:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17853065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brim/pseuds/Brim
Summary: The Supreme Primarch invites two familiar faces for a cup of coffee.





	Defensive Line

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: no beta, so if theres a typo or a missing word...I'm sorry

   The Grandcypher was a big ship full of many odd characters. To some of them, this place was a temporary place to reside in until they reached their destination or accomplished their goal. To others it was a place they found solace in until they got back on their feet. But to most it was a place they could call their home.

   Olivia, a primal beast whose island sank to the bottom of the sky, fell in the third category, but that statement could be considered both true and false. To the Olivia aboard the Grandcypher, a primal beast turned member of a skyfarer crew that statement was true – this place was her home, as she had nowhere else to go. She was thankful to the crew and their captain for their generosity.  

   As for Archangel Olivia, the true Olivia still trapped in Pandemonium, the Grandcypher was not her home. To her, this was nothing more than infiltration in enemy grounds to find information about her enemies and try to free her brethren still locked in Pandemonium’s prison. No personal attachments were needed. She stayed with the crew solely for her mission – dealing with the crew was a blunder and a hassle.

   However, at this moment, as a primal beast Olivia, her honesty was put to question.

“Aren’t you going to drink it? I haven’t poisoned it.” The Supreme Primarch, the new one, was seated on the table in the small kitchen table opposites to her. There was a small cup filled with dark liquid in front of him and a similar cup with the same content prepared for her as well.

“I wouldn’t want to disrespect the Supreme Primarch by partaking in it first.” Olivia said, eyeing her cup with suspicion. The pleasant aroma wafting in the air tempted Olivia but a seasoned soldier like her knew better than to drop her guard down.

    Azazel huffed in annoyance. Olivia wasn’t certain if that was directed towards her or Sandalphon. The fellow fallen angel wasn’t seated with them. He stood a few meters away, arms crossed as he leaned against the kitchen’s wooden counter. There was a cup prepared on the table for him as well but Azazel tenaciously refused to sit down and drink it, instead choose to watch over their conversation from a distance, wary of both of them.

“That is nonsense. No need for any formalities, this is just a gathering between _old friends_ to catch up. Now, why don’t you give it a try? It’s called coffee.” Sandalphon invited her to drink the beverage again with a pleasant tone, but Olivia continued looking at her cup with distrust.

   The three of them were acquainted with each other. Barely, but enough – spending 2 000 years locked up in Pandemonium with so little new faces to remember made it hard to forget each other. They were not on friendly terms so Sandalphon’s familiarity certainly alerted Olivia when he invited her for coffee.

    Olivia remained composed as Sandalphon watched over her every move, carefully studying her. But unlike him, Olivia knew quite a bit about Sandalphon.

“If I recall correctly, your name was Sandalphon, is it not? You fought amongst us in the rebellion 2 000 years ago. You were also one of the angels the Supreme Primarch imprisoned in Pandemonium.”

    Something dark flickered in Sandalphon’s eyes but it was too quick for Olivia to decipher what it was. Olivia knew that he and Lucifer were close but she didn’t know the details nor did she quite understand how Sandalphon came to be the Supreme Primarch. All that she knew was that Lucifer was dead and somehow the position ended up with Sandalphon.

   This Supreme Primarch was very different than the previous one – while Lucifer’s presence extended like a constant pressure, making you unable to look up, Sandalphon’s presence burned like a powerful flare. 

“Yes, your information is correct.” He sounded pleased again and Olivia thought that perhaps she might be able to draw him to their cause. But…

    As a Supreme Primarch, Sandalphon was weak and unstable – forced to use a crew of skyfarers for protection. There was a point in which Olivia considered the previous one’s death and the ascension of a fallen angel to the position to be a favorable outcome for her and her brethren in Pandemonium. She thought that, as one of them, Sandalphon would be more compelled to help their cause.

    But considering the interrogation she was invited to, she couldn’t disregard the possibility of Sandalphon being their enemy.  

“It is our duty to always be mindful of the Supreme Primarch.” Olivia deflected.

“Hah.” Sandalphon brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. Olivia waited but nothing happened. She looked down towards her cup again. Her mouth was running dry. She reached out for it and gulped down the entirety of the dark liquid at once. When the bitter taste registered to her, she grimaced.

“You claimed this isn’t poison, did you not?

“How…how dare you…” Sandalphon frowned. His tone turned cold and he looked ready to bite someone’s head off. Considering the Supreme Primarch’s anger, Olivia was starting to regret her careless bluntness. It would be contra productive to get him upset over his concoction.  

“It seems to me like you two would make poor coffee buddies.” He sighed. ”Don’t worry, I shall take great care to educate you proper coffee etiquette.” Sandalphon’s demeanor returned to his previously more hospitable and friendly one.  

“I don’t like the idea of mingling with skydwellers. That includes doing whatever they’re doing.” Azazel explained plainly. He was always very vocal in his stance when it came to skydwellers and Olivia silently shared the sentiment.  Sandalphon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Don’t you guys know? Skydwellers weren’t the ones that created coffee - it was Lucifer. This is medicine for your soul.” Sandalphon smiled in satisfaction with the shared trivia and took another sip from his cup. Olivia blinked in surprise while Azazel suddenly looked interested in the cup on the table that was waiting for him.

“I didn’t know the previous Supreme Primarch was also busying himself with creating… _medicine for the soul_ , you called it?” Olivia exclaimed, looking at her empty cup with renewed curiosity. However, she didn’t think the medicine was working as intended. It was starting to make her head light-headed and she felt dizzy.

“Sometimes medicine is meant to be bitter.” Sandalphon explained in a joking manner. Faintly, Olivia remembered the medicine the Astrals forced her to take. Maybe this coffee was of similar substance. If so, she didn’t want to drink it ever again.  “Haven’t your parent’s ever taught you that it’s the bitter medicine that works?”

    _Parents_ , Olivia wondered. A parent. A creator. The person who created her… Him. But He was gone as well, wasn’t He? Just as Sandalphon’s creator was gone. An uneasy feeling of familiarity settled inside of her. Perhaps the people of the sky would call this compassion and understanding. But to her it was a useless sentiment – those were not things she was supposed to feel for the Supreme Primarch. He was their enemy after all.

    She decided not dwell deeply in Sandalphon’s banter and provocation. Olivia set her cup down.

“Supreme Primarch, for what reason did you gather us here?”

“Guess we should go straight to business.” Sandalphon said with another disappointed sigh, but his tone remained easy-going. “I’ll keep it simple.”

   Olivia smiled, looking forward to progress; however the absolutely chilling glare Sandalphon gave her made her think that their conversation wasn’t going to end with a positive outcome. 

“I don’t trust fallen angels.” He said plainly. Azazel’s claws dug into the wooden counter as he gripped it but he remained still. When he got invited, Azazel decided to wait and listen to what the new Supreme Primarch was going to say before taking a stance. Lucifer was dead and he still felt restless.  

    Olivia hummed in acknowledgement.

“Why is that?” She asked, genuinely curious why a fellow fallen angel like her would forsake his brothers and sisters.

“Isn’t it obvious? _Our_ kind isn’t to be trusted. Especially those associated with Lucilius.”

“The crew trusts me. As a fellow fallen angel who’s spend 2 000 years in Pandemonium and caused the cataclysm, you also benefit from that trust.” She answered. They trusted her on the premise of a lie, of course, but so far she hadn’t done anything to endanger them and had tried her best to protect and support them as much as she could.

    Olivia fought alongside the crew and experienced many things. They gave her many memories that she was going to remember fondly for a long time, but she wasn’t naïve – unlike the crew’s captain. The Singularity was a very kind and trusting person. Their generosity stretched as far as the sky but that selflessness could be their downfall.

    The Singularity was a person who was easy to take advantage of.

 _“I wonder what this means about the person I saw at the theater…”_ Olivia pondered, much to the exasperation of the Supreme Primarch, whose patience ran thin.

“I promised to rid the skies of all of you wretches.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

   She wasn’t intimidated by him – he was nothing compared to the things she experienced with the Astrals. Moreover, Sandalphon fully depleted Lucifer’s powers as a Supreme Primarch. Her Avatar wouldn’t be able to defeat him but her true self will probably be able to fight him as equals.

   Unfortunately, Sandalphon was a threat not because of his power or his anger but because he knew her true background. Exposing her means breaking the fragile trust and peace she built in the crew and that was something she absolutely refused to happen.   

“Then what is a fallen angel doing this close to the Singularity?” Sandalphon glared. Olivia planned a story and alibi before coming to this meeting but considering the Supreme Primarch’s suspicion and hostility she doubted that her cover would work.

“How did you escape Pandemonium?” Sandalphon continued his interrogation mercilessly.

“Let her talk.” Azazel chimed in. Olivia glanced towards him, hoping for some sort of aid but Azazel’s eyes were cold as well, his arms crossed. He didn’t trust her either.

“I…” She started, uncertain of what to say. What was she to do? What lie would satisfy both of them? She steeled herself, bracing for whatever outcome her words were about to bring out.

“I …have nowhere else to go.” Olivia was surprised with how sincere and honest her own answer was. “When the cataclysm happened…” She started explaining. ”The island I tried to make my home fell, so with nowhere else to go, I went to the crew.”

   Azazel’s hands dropped by his side. Sandalphon looked at a loss of words. He faltered - it was a brief moment of hesitation but he’d lost far too much by indulging himself in such weakness. She saw the opportunity. The tides were turning in Olivia’s favor.

   Sometimes honesty was the best policy.  

“The Captain is very kind to me. I don’t want to bring any harm.” Olivia clarified. Technically it wasn’t deception because she certainly didn’t want to bring any harm to the Singularity. Her goal was to free her brethren, not tormenting a child of men.

    Sandalphon laughed. It was a bitter, sardonic laugh and Olivia spent enough time around humans to realize that he was mocking her.

“I haven’t heard worse lies.”

    Olivia frowned.

“It’s the truth. If you don’t believe then have my actions spoke otherwise?” She’d sacrificed her own flesh and blood defending the crew. Her original intentions to join the crew may have been disingenuous but she’d spend enough time with the crew to prove that she was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect the Singularity and their crew.

    Sandalphon remained silent. Olivia waited a moment, and then two until eventually the Supreme Primarch smiled again.

“It seems like you’re a pretty good sleeper agent.”

“And what’s your proof of that?” Olivia had almost forgotten Azazel was there. The other fellow angel was now glaring at the Supreme Primarch, clearly displeased. Sandalphon turned his head towards him.

“She’s dangerous. She was locked up in Pandemonium—“

“So? The same can be said for both me and you. Don’t forget we were both locked up in there.” Azazel’s tone remained cold but his anger was flaring up.

“Haven’t you heard what she was saying in Pandemonium? What group she stood by?”

“Not everyone was mopping in their cage like you!” Azazel’s voice raised and he stomped towards the table, slamming his hands on it. Olivia carefully moved her cup and Azazel’s cup away, least they fell and damaged the crew’s property. “Also, you’re not the one who gets to decide who is welcomed on the ship or not. It’s the captain’s decision.”

    Sandalphon remained speechless, glaring at both of them. The absolute authority on the ship was the Singularity and even he knew that he couldn’t decide whether Olivia stayed or not. If the Captain trusted her then there was nothing Sandalphon could do.

“I knew I would find more comrades if I stayed on this ship.” Azazel turned to Olivia with a content expression. Olivia was a bit flabbergasted by the abrupt change in treatment but she welcomed it. Azazel could prove to be a powerful ally in her quest.

“Yes, I feel fortunate to meet a fellow fallen angel as well.” Olivia smiled. The Supreme Primarch exhaled, exasperated.

“Stay then. But I’m keeping a close watch on you. And you.” Sandalphon drank his remaining coffee. Olivia hummed in acknowledgement. Azazel scowled. It seemed like their conversation was over so Olivia stood up to leave. Sandalphon paid her no mind as he put the cups on the tray and headed for the kitchen’s sink. 

“Don’t think I’m taking orders from you just because Lucifer approved of you.” Azazel snapped at his back and Sandalphon chuckled. Olivia sensed another confrontation coming so she hastily headed for the door.

“Fine by me. I don’t need the approval of someone who was known for running off and getting himself in trouble constantly.” Sandalphon busied himself with cleaning the cups, not even acknowledging Azazel by turning to face him. 

“What…what was that?”

“Lucifer was too kind for always vouching for you.” Sandalphon provoked again, his smile smug.

“You…!” Azazel hissed.

   Olivia closed the door behind her, unnoticed. She’d managed to successfully avoid the possibility of ending up as collateral damage to whatever clash was about to happen between Azazel and Sandalphon.

   She needed some fresh air to calm her mind so she headed for the upper deck. On the way there she was greeted by a few other crew members. They smiled and waved at her and Olivia smiled back.

“Good evening.” She answered their greeting and passed them. Socializing with the crew wasn’t difficult. Olivia wasn’t the chatty type but she didn’t dislike meeting new people and listening to them. She’d even managed to befriend a few.

    There were so many fascinating individuals with interesting stories she could hear. A new world, new opportunities and a new future – it was something she was excited to learn and felt elevated to hear about. Naturally, there were many odd characters, skyfarers and Primals alike, but dealing with them wasn’t as complicated as it was when it came to dealing with Sandalphon or Azazel. Unlike them, they trusted Olivia and even helped her adjust to the crew lifestyle.

    Still, spending some on the upper decks was enjoyable as it was where she felt the most at peace. The ship moved slowly during the night and the breeze was gentle as she observed the dark sky. During the times where she remained in solitude under the moonlight she pondered about her past, present and future.

    The people of the sky were fragile beings with a short life. They experienced joy and fulfilment from the most mundane things. Olivia still felt lost sometimes whenever she tried to understand them and she didn’t know if she will ever be able to.

 _“But…do I have to?”_ She wasn’t meant to be a skyfarer. She was a fallen angel posing as a primal beast who lost her home in order to gain information on how to free her brethren. Familiarizing herself with the crew and the life they led was part of her duty but was her personal investment really that needed? Was she getting involved with them of her own volition and not the necessity of her mission? What would her brothers and sister still lost in Pandemonium’s oppressive darkness think when they hear of a world in which primal beasts and skyfarers live in peace?

 _“This sky is very different from the one I saw while in Pandemonium.”_ She shuddered as she reminisced.  It would be considered chilly outside but such thing didn’t normally bother Olivia. Primals were created as tools and weapons of war and as such their bodies were meant to be durable and suitable for all kinds of environmental conditions. She wasn’t susceptive to cold or heat.

“The night sky possesses a mysterious beauty, doesn’t it?” A voice, which sounded very much like the previous Supreme Primarch’s, called out to her.

“Indeed…Wait.” Olivia gasped and turned towards its direction. On her left, the odd Lucifer lookalike stood beside her, looking out towards the serene night sky. He glanced towards her with a faint smile on his face.

“The …” _Supreme Primarch_ , she almost said but stopped herself. Almost 2 000 years passed since she’d last seen Lucifer, yet he possessed a presence she could never forget.

   This man’s presence was different.

“Good evening. I believe this is the first time we formally meet. Please call me Lucio.”

“You’re the man from the theater…!” Alert, Olivia took a step back. Her hand gripping the hilt of the sword that rested by her side, ready to draw. She withheld herself from attacking just yet – she needed answers.

   Lucio sighed and turned his head towards her. He made no effort to arm himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Olivia.” His tone was casual, showing no threat or desire for a confrontation, but that didn’t ease Olivia off her battle stance. She knew how ruthless the Astrals and the previous Supreme Primarch could be, so she couldn’t allow herself to leave her guard down even for a moment.

   Moreover, that man knew who she was and considering the way he confronter he, Olivia suspected that he had known of her since a while. Depending on how long he followed her, it was possible that he knew everything about her – her true background, her true intentions and her true goal. The fragile peace she’d struggled to build was starting to crack in front of her.

“Could you please relax? Fighting between crew members is forbidden.” Lucio reminded. _Fighting between crew members was forbidden_ \- one of the few rules on the Grand Cypher and it was the only rule which the captain was very strict about. The only exceptions to that rule were training and duels, but those were always held off the ship or on the training ground on the deck below.

   Needless to say, if a fight were to happen between the two of them, they would both be severely reprimanded. As a soldier and as someone who couldn’t risk her mission being compromised, that was something Olivia absolutely refused to be subjected to, so she had to resort to try talk her way out of this situation. Again.  

“If you’re not the Supreme Primarch’s phantom, then who are you?” Olivia hesitantly eased her stance. Even if it were to come to a fight, risking her secrets aside, she doubted that with just a fragment of her original self she’d be able to win against someone who possessed powers similar to the Supreme Primarch. She was merely an avatar and as realistic as the entire experience of being with the crew was she shouldn’t forget her true purpose – reconnaissance, not war.

   Olivia relaxed her stance and tried to adapt a more casual appearance by leaning against the railing. The night breeze gently blew her hair and she could feel a few long locks tangle in her horns.

“I am a fellow skyfarer who is enjoying the view.” Lucio adapted her approach as well and leaned his forearms on the railing, peering out towards the night sky. There were a few dark clouds below them but it didn’t look severe enough to rain. 

“But that’s not entirely true is it, Lucio?” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The man was a good liar, better than her, she had to admit. He’d been aboard the ship for a while and nobody suspected a thing about him and they didn’t know he was a Primal. Somehow he’d even managed to trick Lyria. It was something that both impressed and unnerved Olivia.

“The same can be said of you as well, skyfarer Olivia. Or do you prefer Archangel of Dusk Olivia?”

   Olivia’s face twisted into a grimace. Her suspicions were correct – the man not only knew her true name but also her background. It was a highly unfavorable situation she found herself in.

“It seems like you know a lot more than any of us do.” She needed a way to counter act otherwise her entire mission could be jeopardized. Exposure would be the worst possible outcome because it would threaten not only her but also her brethren still in imprisoned in Pandemonium.

“I just know that the Supreme Primarch below us has a lot of reasons to be concerned about you.”

“Is it groundless for him to possess the same concerns about you as well?”

“I’m not his enemy.”

   Lucio deflected, but…

“Those two don’t know about you.”

“Yes. I would prefer if it’s kept that way.” Lucio clarified. Olivia didn’t know how he did it – not just with the crew and Lyria, Azazel and Sandalphon had no idea that he was a Primal nor did they make any connection between his face and Lucifer’s. There was some sort of powerful force twisting their perception.

“It is regrettable but this is for the best because my presence would cause too much discord...”

   His words trailed off. When Olivia glanced at him, he wasn’t smiling any more. He looked almost dejected. It reminded Olivia of the sad expression Lyria made when she told her that the vendors ran out of ice cream during summer. But unlike back then, this time Olivia didn’t feel guilty about it.

“Then what would happen if your secret was out?”

“Then that would be very regrettable for both of us.” Olivia realized immediately that it was a clear threat. Whatever Lucio’s plans were, she had become an unwilling part of it as his fellow secret keeper.

“Pray tell me, for what purpose did you seek out the crew?” She asked bluntly and Lucio looked surprised at her.

“Oh, similarly to you I also have a mission to carry out.” Lucio’s answers remained vague. Whatever his true goal was, it remained obscured and she doubted that she would be able to get it out of him today. For now she needed to establish the boundaries so she could plan how to make her next move.

“I am to understand that you won’t obstruct my mission then?”

   Lucio chuckled. It was a bizarre thing to hear this from Lucifer’s doppelganger and see him act this way. She remembered the previous Supreme Primarch was a very stoic individual who rarely showed any expressions. He was the ideal of what an archangel should be. In comparison, looking at Lucio was like looking at a distorted mirror. 

“Who knows? If you were to open Pandemonium then we’re going to have a problem.” He explained and Olivia’s brows furrowed.

“ _If_?”  She repeated and Lucio straightened his stance, turning towards her. The faint smile on his face was gone. His tone wasn’t as cheerful and polite anymore.  

“The people on this crew are very important to me. If anything were to happen to them…” He didn’t finish his sentence but Olivia understood well enough. Her body went stiff, only managing a nod in acknowledgement. Lucio smiled again.

“Then, I wish you a good evening. I’m going to head back, it’s getting chilly outside.” He turned his back to her and walked away. Soon enough his figure was lost as he headed below deck and Olivia felt relieved. She remained leaning against the railing for a few minutes longer still pondering over the encounter.

   It seemed like her mission was going to be a lot more complicated than she originally imagined. Many things happened since she joined the crew and she managed to experience of them up close as she stayed near the Singularity. The Supreme Primarch was dead, his replacement was out of revenge, dark forces and splinter groups of fallen angels were starting to make their move. The fate of the skies was uncertain. But one thing she knew for sure – this crew’s captain was going to be the center of whatever calamity was about to happen. As long as she stayed beside the Singularity, the red dragon and the blue-haired girl then surely she would be able to find a way to save her brethren.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you very much for reading and have a nice day! Your feedback is really appreciated!
> 
> you know how olivia kept rambling in her thoughts about what's going on and speculating? yeah, same  
> cygames won't give me the interactions between the prison buddies trio so I WILL DO IT MYSELF  
> (Azazel is pretty ...mild in here, to put it lightly more subdued because otherwise that would've hammed up the entirety of the story so I avoided that, sorry!)
> 
> I love Olivia.


End file.
